The Nomadic Life

[bigbill]

Travel trailer maintenance and repair. I'm pretty handy with a wrench, but slides are out of my wheelhouse. I dropped the trailer off at a local repair place to get the slides adjusted so they fit more flush when retracted. I never had any water leakage, but I figure a trailer "tune-up" every few years isn't a bad thing. The trailer is almost five years old, I'll probably replace the tires before we head north in May.

[AngryScientist]

Yea. Rolling houses. Drive enough bumpy miles and everything comes loose or out of adjustment sooner or later.

[TonyP]

Then there's this

https://bikepacking.com/news/check-o...-concept-bike/

[ides1056]

I am holding out for the aero version.

[AngryScientist]

I am driving from SF to San Diego Thursday to look at and likely buy a 1995 Eurovan, totally restored, always garaged California resident. My son is joining me. If all goes well we will be heading North by the weekend. When I came out West five weeks ago I thought to figure things out on the fly. So far so good. With a van I can extend my stay past the sale of my mother’s condo and drive home when the weather improves with my bikes and gear.

Adventure.

Did you ever wind up driving out and grabbing this??

[ides1056]

Ten lane highways are anathema to this tree hugger. The drive to San Diego was necessary but a trial. Buying the van was a bit of a leap of faith. Like me it’s old but in pretty good shape. First night was spent in Claremont visiting a singular friend. Once past Ventura I felt more at ease. At my Aunt’s in Lompoc tonight. My son has eased up on the silent treatment and I am relaxing. The van is a pleasure to drive, way more comfortable than the rental Passat I drove down. I am heading to SF to finish clearing out my mother’s condo by the end of the month. After? I have to spend at least one night on Main Street, Bolinas. I will return to ride some Santa Ynez gravel. There’s a place in Petaluma with power and a shower. Sometime in March I will drive home to Cummington. I miss my dogs.

Writing on my phone isn’t my forte, but I will try to post photos along the way.

The view of the ocean is above Gaviota. The trailer and teepee is in Claremont. The road photo was a strange billboard in LA.

[Too Tall]

Love this Jay. Keep up the dialogue, we live vicariously.

[AngryScientist]

Living the dream! Nice!

[ides1056]

I visited my grandparents’ ranch for the first time since 1989. Now a nature reserve owned by UCSB, it meant the world to be welcomed. When I am done in SF at the end of the month I will return.

Happy day.

[Too Tall]

Incredible Jay. You people are good ones.

[bigbill]

We are planning out the summer in Wyoming. We have 9 acres and last summer we installed a septic system. The priority going into spring is to get two slabs poured; one for the shop and the other for the trailer. The shop slab will have a power panel (200A) with 30A outlets. We have discussed water and the property has a hydrant next to the road. To run the water to the upper part of the property will be expensive so we're considering putting a 1000 gallon tank on a trailer, filling it from the riser, and pulling it up to the upper section. I can build a system with a demand pump for running water in the shop and either put a hose on the trailer or just fill the freshwater when needed. The advantage is lower cost and the ability to drain the entire system at the end of the summer.

[AngryScientist]

We are planning out the summer in Wyoming. We have 9 acres and last summer we installed a septic system. The priority going into spring is to get two slabs poured; one for the shop and the other for the trailer. The shop slab will have a power panel (200A) with 30A outlets. We have discussed water and the property has a hydrant next to the road. To run the water to the upper part of the property will be expensive so we're considering putting a 1000 gallon tank on a trailer, filling it from the riser, and pulling it up to the upper section. I can build a system with a demand pump for running water in the shop and either put a hose on the trailer or just fill the freshwater when needed. The advantage is lower cost and the ability to drain the entire system at the end of the summer.

Got any hills you can park that trailer on to eliminate the need for a pump?

[bigbill]

Got any hills you can park that trailer on to eliminate the need for a pump?

The upper and lower parts are mostly flat. Nothing high enough to create a fluid height math problem. I'm either going to use a demand pump with a pressure switch, or use a recirc line and let the pump run constantly during demand. I could fill the travel trailer tank and run onboard pump for showers and such. The shop will eventually have a 3/4 bath, the recirc line arrangement would be best for that. I like having the ability to drain it all out at the end of the summer. The lows up there have been in the negatives.

[ides1056]

Drove to SF today on 101. 29+ mpg at 67 mph. Goes as straight as my Golf. Comfortable. Great visibility. How this is possible with 109 horses and 140 ft lbs torque is beyond me. I’ll take it.

[bigbill]

Drove to SF today on 101. 29+ mpg at 67 mph. Goes as straight as my Golf. Comfortable. Great visibility. How this is possible with 109 horses and 140 ft lbs torque is beyond me. I’ll take it.

In 1990, I had the privilege to drive a Vanagon from the Sacramento area to the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. Speed limits were still 65, but for the most point, I really wasn't able to go much faster. Siskiyou and Grant's Pass were spent in the right lane. I liked how it rode and I'm one of those people who are more comfortable sitting upright while driving. Before we bought the big travel trailer, we discussed getting a one ton sprinter-type van and a smaller trailer. I like the self-contained lifestyle of road tripping in a van, but the trailer is home 3-4 months a year.

[Too Tall]

In 1990, I had the privilege to drive a Vanagon from the Sacramento area to the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. Speed limits were still 65, but for the most point, I really wasn't able to go much faster. Siskiyou and Grant's Pass were spent in the right lane. I liked how it rode and I'm one of those people who are more comfortable sitting upright while driving. Before we bought the big travel trailer, we discussed getting a one ton sprinter-type van and a smaller trailer. I like the self-contained lifestyle of road tripping in a van, but the trailer is home 3-4 months a year.

Too bad Nissan discontinued their one ton NV3500 van with tall roof option. That had the HP and frame to tow a trailer. I have a pal who loads a full dress Indian, all their camping BS and tows a 27' Airstream. Neat setup.

[bigbill]

Too bad Nissan discontinued their one ton NV3500 van with tall roof option. That had the HP and frame to tow a trailer. I have a pal who loads a full dress Indian, all their camping BS and tows a 27' Airstream. Neat setup.

I saw a setup like that at Canyonlands NP a few years ago. No sag at all from the sprinter. We met a guy while fly fishing off Hwy 16 in Wyoming that had a one ton sprinter type van with full off-grid capability. The one-ton seemed overkill without a trailer, but he had a great life.

[Too Tall]

I saw a setup like that at Canyonlands NP a few years ago. No sag at all from the sprinter. We met a guy while fly fishing off Hwy 16 in Wyoming that had a one ton sprinter type van with full off-grid capability. The one-ton seemed overkill without a trailer, but he had a great life.

Yeah man. Those solo vans get real small real fast ;) Not for me, I like towing a rig I can drop.

[Saab2000]

Anyone use anything from Taxa? Their two smallest trailers hold some appeal for me. I believe either can fit into my garage and both could be pulled by my car. The Wooly Bear holds a bunch of gear and a rooftop tent and has a receiver for a bike rack. The Tiger Moth is slightly larger but is an enclosed space, something that also has some appeal.

Anyone know anything about this brand?

[bigbill]

Anyone use anything from Taxa? Their two smallest trailers hold some appeal for me. I believe either can fit into my garage and both could be pulled by my car. The Wooly Bear holds a bunch of gear and a rooftop tent and has a receiver for a bike rack. The Tiger Moth is slightly larger but is an enclosed space, something that also has some appeal.

Anyone know anything about this brand?

I'm a fan of the enclosed space option. I'd say the majority of the time, the tent option is good, but it's nice to have a hard shell with a door if the weather gets nasty such as thunderstorms with high winds. The enclosed space is also good for storing foods in around foraging wildlife, especially if you are going to be away from your campsite during the day. Either option should be okay in any national park. I've got the bigass trailer and plan on putting a 2" receiver on the back so I can take my Kuat to Wyoming for the summer. My bikes travel in the truck.